Apparatus for proofing cartons and the like



4 Sheets-Sheet 1 C. W. HARTMANN Filed April 27, 1940 Sept. 1 1942.

v APPARATUS FOR PROOFING CARTONS AND THE LIKE Sept. 1, 1942. c. w. HARTMANN APPARATUS FOR PROOFING CARTONS AND THE LIKE Filed April 27, 1940 4 sheets-snee jz Pee "r wva Sept. 1, 1942. c. w. HARTMANN APPARATUS FOR PROOFING CARTONS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-She et 5 Filed April 27, 1940 .47 rap/vs vs p 1942. c. w. HARTMANN 2,294,599

APPARATUS FOR PROOFING CARTONS AND THE LIKE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 I Fild April 27, 1940 I f5; Jam

.. ri e H Patented Sept. 1, 1942 APPARATUS FOR PROOFING CARTONS AND THE LIKE Carl Wilhelm Hartmann, Lyngby, near Copenhagen, Denmark, assignor to Satona Limited,

' Edinburgh, Scotland Application April 27, 1940,

Serial No. 332,034

In Great Britain May 24, 1939 7 Claims. (01. 91- 46) This invention relates to apparatus for proofing cartons, paper, cardboard or like vessels, and has for its object to enable cartons in quantities to be proofed efiectively by a suitable waterproofing composition such as molten wax. Another object of this invention is to provide proofing apparatus adapted to cooperate with conveying means for conveying shaped cartons from shaping machinery, and for conveying cartons to filling or stacking means, so that there is a continuous operation.

According to this invention apparatus for proofing cartons comprises a bath for the liquid proofing substance, a plurality of carton holders arranged in a train and carried by travelling means adapted to feed the holders successively through the bath and to deliver them to collecting means, and means to impart swinging or tilting movements to the cartons relatively to their translative movement when moving from the bath to'the collecting means,

In carrying one form of the invention into practice the proofing apparatus is combined with a machine which shapes carton blanks into tubular form with closed bases, the cartons may be of the type which is in use for the retailing of liquids, and which comprises a square section tube with a closed rosette base, and foldable upper parts which are folded into a wedge like mouth closure when the carton is filled. Following the distending of the cartons into open form and the closing of their bases they are delivered into a conveyor having a succession of U shaped 'clips which individually receive cartons and carry them through a stage which pinches together the sides of the mouth ends of the cartons to ensure that all of the creases and bends appropriate to a finished carton arepresent prior to the proofing operation so as to avoid fracture or crackingol. the proofing material when the carton mouths are sealed.

It is preferred to coat a number of cartons simultaneously and for this purpose a number of fingers are operated to displace laterally relatively to the conveyor with the U shaped clips the desired number of cartons. In the preferred embodiment four cartons are displaced simultaneously by a corresponding number of fingers which have a swinging and translative movement imparted to them so that they remain in contact with the cartons until they are dislodged into a line of carton supports carried by a drum rotating in a casing surmounting the bath.

The said drum is provided with means co-oper- 'ating with guides on adjacent side frames to impart the beforesaid swinging or tilting movements to the carton holders so that the surplus wax is substantially evenly drained off the cartons and falls into the subjacent .bath.

Scrapers with the conveyor which conveys the 36 on a conveyor l6 which after filling.

waxed cartons away from the drum can scrape surplus wax from the bases of the cartons.

In order that this invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into efiect, drawings are appended hereto illustrating an embodiment thereof, and wherein:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation view of the waxing means, with parts in section this guides appropriate to the configuration oi. the

the appropriate said drum, and the relationship of stages.

Fig. 2 is a sectional side-elevation view showing the waxing bath and mechanism for carrying the cartons to and from it.

Fig. 3 is a part sectional carrying the carton holders.

Fig. 4 is a detail side elevation of one of the carton holders, and

Fig. 5 is a detail plan view ofpart of the mechanism for actuating carton engaging and releasing means associated with the carton holders.

Referring to the drawings of square section and before the waxing-stage are supported in double limb or U shaped clips is seen in sectional so that only one limb on each of the adjacent end clips is shown. The upstanding cartons on the top track of the conveyor have been previously partially closed or creased and consequently when they are wax coated the creased parts will be adequately waxed, and the wax in the creases of the cartons will not break away when the cartons are closed The cartons are in single file on the conveyor l6 and following this pre-creasing the next stage in the operations, which is the subject of the present invention is to deliver the cartons into a wax bath 4| in order to impregnate them with wax and then to manipulate the cartons-to ensure adaquate and uniform coating.

It is preferred to coat a number of cartons simultaneously and for this purpose a number of fingers 42 are operated to displace laterally relatively to the conveyor IS the desired number of cartons. In the arrangement shown four carplan of the drum the cartons I are elevation in Fig. 2,

tons are displaced simultaneously by a correserving the purpose of showing the.

that only narrow line contact is made with the cartons. As each set of supports 43 become located at the receiving stage, a. cam or abutment 4'! carried by a lever .48 rides over a stationary roller 49 and is actuated to transmit movement via a link 50 to a gripping member in the form of a short curved finger located at the base of each support, these fingers being carried by a spindle 5| a located across the lower end of each line of supports said spindle 5la being spring loaded in-the carton gripping direction of rotation by compression springs 5lb. A stop 50 limits the gripping movement.

The levers 48 are supported on short spindles 2 rotating in bosses 3 formed on the side plates or flanges 4 of the drum 45, and the links 50 are connected by cranks 500. on the ends of the spindles 5Ia. Each line of cartons is supported by a bar l9 supported at its ends by arms 20 depending from the spindles 2.

The wax in the bath is heated by suitable heating means, e. g an electric heater Ma, and during rotation of the drum 45 the holders are imparted swinging movement by the engageof rollers-52 and 52a with each set of holders with guide rails 53 (hereinafter more fully described) provided in the casing 46. During the predominating portion of the first half of this arcuate movement of the cartons away from the bath (see Fig. 1) .their open ends lo are lowermost, but when reaching the highest position It they are reversed, then again inverted and when ultimately reachinga position immediately above the stage containing the fingers 42 where they are delivered into the bath, they are reversed so that their bases are lowermost atwhich stage the said abutments 4'l engage fixed abutments 49a to move the appropriate gripping members II to the carton releasing position. In this latter position a number of carton base engaging abutments 55 with upstanding fingers 56 at their rear ends are passed upwardly relatively to the holders and forwardly towards a conveyor 51 and deposit the appropriate set of cartons on to the upper'track of this conveyor. This conveyor which is described in the co-pending application Serial No. 332,029 filed April 27, 1940, has a number of transverse rods 58 equi-distantly spaced and these rods intersect a number of superposed longitudinal guide rails 59 so' that in effect the lower end of each carton is supported at its fore and aft walls by a pair of transverse rods 58 and at its lateral walls by a pair of the rails.

The bases of the cartons rest upon a stationary base plate 60 which is provided at several points with heated scrapers 62 to remove surplus wax from the bases of the cartons. At the entrant end of this conveying stage a tray 53 is located in juxtaposition to the upper track of the conveyor to receive wax dripping from the carton.

The arrangement of the said guide rails comprises a lower parallel pair of rails 6 on one side of the casing 46 which receive between them the roller 52 of the appropriate line of holders when the holders descend into the bath and pass arcuately outwards and upwardly from the bath. This lower pair of rails has an entrant stage 5a contained within about 45 of the complete circult of travel of the holders and which stage is as to bring the cartons right way up before they are transferred to the conveyor 51 which carries the coated cartons to the filling or stacking stage. The empty holders now receive their cartons and pass downwardly along the said approximately 'which causes the roller 52 of the appropriate line of holdersv to impart a swinging movement to the holders so that the base ends of the cartons are above the mouths lo, the cartons being inclined at about 45 to the horizontal plane with their mouths trailing. The cartons are now slightly above the horizontal plane containing the axis I of the drum and as the roller 52 leaves the guide rails 5 the other roller 52a moves into further rail sections 1 which establish continuity in the sequence of operations with the aforesaid lower portion 6 of the guide rails. This additional portion I of the guide rails is on the opposite side of the casing 46 to that containing the rails 5 and is inclined inwardly at about an angle of 45 to the horizontal plane and it has the effect of adding about another 90 swinging movement to the' carton holders so that the cartons have their mouths lo below their bases and the now eflective roller 52a trails the now ineffective roller 52 to enable the latter to enter a pair ofguide rails is resulting in the carton holders swinging to bring the cartons nearly horizontal whereupon the roller 52a enters the lower end of afurther short section of guide rail 9, which is also inclined inwardly and upwardly so that its upper end terminates just beyond the vertical plane containing the axis of the drum, this additional guide rail section merging into a relatively short upper horizontal part. Symmetrical with this latter guide rail section is another similar section III approximately concentric with the axis of the and the roller 52 of the appropriate line of folderspasses into this section In as the roller 52a leaves the other 9, the cartons now having their mouths uppermost. A final guide rail section II comprises an elongated substantially 8 shaped section which receives the roller 52a as the roller 52 leaves rail section l0. This section II has a lower end from which the roller 52a of the holders passes to free the cartons on to the appropriate conveyor 51, this final section of the guide rails imparting nearly asemi-circular movement to the cartons. As the roller 52a passes from the rail section I I, the other roller 52 is brought opposite the entrant end of the section 6 ready to re-commence the cycle operations.

The rollers for travelling in the guide rails are arranged one pair for each set of carton holders, the pair of rollers being carried at the ends of two arms l3 and I 4 fixed on the spindles 2 one at each end of each line of holders, each pair of arms being arranged V fashion in end elevation as shown in Fig. 2', only one roller at a time engaging in the appropriate rail section, and as a roller leaves one rail section the other roller engages in the next rail section.

The drum 45 is imparted an intermittent rotation by Maltese cross or other suitable driving means IS, the conveyors l6 and 51 likewise being moved intermittently so that both conveyors and the drum 45 move in the required sequence. A platform" guides the cartons from the conveyor l6 into the holders, the outermost of the rods 43a of the holders being shorter than the others, as indicated at 43b in Fig. 2 to enable the cartons to be guided properly into the holders.

ton supports carried by said structure and arranged to be traversed in a substantially circular endless path by the conveying structure, a wax bath subjacent to said structure adapted to receive the cartons at the lowest point of their travel, means imparting orbital movements to the carton supports during their travel, carton collecting means above the bath adapted to receive the coated cartons and means in juxtaposition to the bath and immediately subjacent to said collecting means to feed non-coated cartons into empty holders.

2. Apparatus for proofing cartons comprising a rotary conveying structure rotating intermittently on a horizontal axis, a plurality of carton supports carried by said structure, means to impart predetermined orbital movements to the supports during rotation of said structure, a wax bath arranged beneath said structure and through which said supports are adapted to be drawn by the rotation of the structure, means in juxtaposition to the bath operating during the stationary periods of the rotating structure to automatically feed cartons into the supports before the-supports enter the bath, and means spaced substantially immediately above said feeding means adapted to automatically remove the coated cartons from said supports.

3. Apparatus for proofing cartons comprising a rotary conveying structure adapted to be rotated intermittently on a horizontal axis, a plurality of carton supports carried by said structure and each adapted to accommodate a carton, means to impart predetermined orbital movements to the supports during rotation of said structure, a wax bath arranged beneath said structure and through which said supports are adapted to be drawn by the rotation of the structure, means in juxtaposition to the bath operating during the stationary periods of the rotating structure to automatically feed cartons into the supports before the supports enter the bath, means spaced substantially immediately above said feeding means adapted to remove the coated cartons from said supports, a delivery stage gripping means with said supports autoendless 'path by the conveying structure, a wax bath subjacent to said structure adapted to receive the cartons at the lowest point of their travel, means imparting orbital movements to the carton supports during their travel, carton collecting means above the bath adapted to receive the coated cartons, means in juxtaposition to the bath and to said collecting means to feed non-coated cartons into the empty carton supports, carton gripping fingers at the bases of the carton supports adapted to grip against the exterior of the cartons, levers operatively connected to said fingers, and abutments adapted to be operatively engaged by said levers located adjacent to the entrant side of the bath and to said collecting means.

5. Apparatus for proofing cartons comprising a rotary conveying structure, a plurality of carton supports carried by said structure and arranged to be traversed in a substantially circular endless path by the conveying structure,.a wax bath subjacent to said structure adapted to receive the cartons at the lowest point of their travel, means imparting orbital movements to the carton supports during their travel, carton collecting means above the bath adapted to receive the coated cartons, means in juxtaposition to the bath and to said collecting means to feed non-coated cartons into the empty carton supports, carton gripping fingers at the bases of the carton supports adapted to grip against the exterior of the-cartons, oscillatable levers carried by said supports and adapted to swing said fingers to carton freeing adjacent to said collecting means adapted to be engaged by said levers to eflect said freeing operation, and spring means yieldingly opposing the movement of said levers and fingers to the carton freeing position.

6. In a carton proofing apparatus a plurality of oscillatable carton holders, rotary supporting means for said holders, a wax bath beneath the supporting means adapted to have the cartons traversed therethrough, two sets of cam-like guides located at opposite sides of said supporting means, pivoted supports for the carton holders in said supporting means, rocking arms fixed to said pivoted supports adapted to impart matically gripping the cartons externally when they are received in the supports and maintaining the cartons in the supports until they have traversed the bath and reached the delivery stage and means adapted to automatically'actuate the gripping means to release the cartons when the carton supports reach the delivery stage.

4. Apparatus ig'or proofingcartons comprising a rotary conveying structure, a plurality of carton supports carried by said structure and arranged to be traversed in a substantially circular oscillation to said holders and operatively engaged with said cam-like guides, means located in juxtaposition to the entrant side of said bath automatically feeding cartons into the said holders, and means automatically freeing the cartons from the holder immediately above said feeding means.

'7. In a carton proofing machine a wax bath, a rotary conveyor above said bath, a plurality of carton holders oscillatably carried. by said conveyor and each comprising a number of spaced narrow rods having edge contact with the cartons, spring loaded carton gripping fingers carried' by said holders, means adjacent the entrant side of the bath imparting movement to said fingers against influence of their spring means to free the cartons, cam-like guides on opposite sides of the rotary conveyor, pivoted supports for said carton holders, in said conveyor and levers fixed to said pivoted supports and engaged with and adapted to traverse said cam-like guides adapted so as to impart oscillation to positions, an abutment 

